Automatic washer for continuous positive airway pressure equipment

ABSTRACT

An automatic washer for continuous positive airway pressure equipment has a housing defining a wash chamber having an open face providing access to the wash chamber, a door selectively closing the open face, a dual eccentric nozzle protruding into the wash chamber, a rack slidingly receivable within the wash chamber, and a spray nozzle in the bottom surface of the wash chamber. The rack has a hose clamp oriented to secure an end of a CPAP hose when seated in the rack with an open end of the CPAP hose facing the dual eccentric nozzle. The dual eccentric nozzle has an air conduit that introduces air during a drying cycle and a water conduit that introduces water during a rinse cycle, and when the rack is fully inserted in the wash chamber, the dual eccentric nozzle is received inside the hose clamp, thereby, inside the CPAP hose when present.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This application relates to automatic washers for continuous positiveairway pressure (CPAP) equipment, more particularly, to a washer thatautomatically washes a CPAP hose, mask, and humidifier with a continuousflow of water either through direct connection to a water source, suchas an under sink mounted machine or a portable machine, or via anon-board water reservoir.

BACKGROUND

CPAP equipment is a common treatment for obstructive sleep apnea. CPAPequipment utilizes a machine that is connected to a tight fitting maskworn by a user, the masking being connected to the machine by a hose todeliver continuous positive airway pressure. The problem is that thereis no efficient and easy way to clean the hose, mask, and humidifier.Many users clean the hose, mask, and humidifier by hand, with an ozonetreatment machine, or a UV light treatment machine.

Cleaning by hand is time consuming and inconvenient, and often resultsin a user cleaning the hose mask and humidifier less often thanrecommended. As such, there is an increased risk of infection and healthproblems, such as sinus infections, increased allergy symptoms, andfacial irritation.

Ozone treatment machines use ionized air to clean the CPAP equipment.Ionized air can be harmful to the environment and there may be a risk ofresidual ozone being inhaled by users when not waiting the recommendedlength of time between cleaning and use of the CPAP equipment. There isa concern by some medical professionals that inhaling residual ozone maylead to chest pain, coughing, shortness of breath, and throatirritation. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration Code of FederalRegulations limits residual ozone to 0.05 parts per million.

UV light treatment machines have also been unsuccessful in cleaning CPAPequipment thoroughly and effectively. Some studies have shown that theyare not completely effective in disinfecting CPAP equipment. With bothUV light treatment machines and ozone treatment machines, a commonproblem is they do not remove dirt, grease, oils, and other residue fromthe CPAP equipment.

An automatic hose washing apparatus is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No.9,623,452, but this machine recirculates used wash water over the hoseand mask, which is undesirable. In particular, wash water passes throughthe interior of the hose before being sprayed over the exterior of thehose and mask, and only after this cycle is complete is the wash waterdrained from the device.

There is a need for an improved automatic CPAP equipment washer thatovercomes the defects noted above, which effectively cleans the CPAPequipment with soap and water rather than ozone.

SUMMARY

In all aspects, an automatic washer for continuous positive airwaypressure (CPAP) equipment is disclosed that has a housing defining awash chamber having an open face providing access to the wash chamber, adoor selectively closing the open face, a rack slidingly receivablewithin the wash chamber, a spray nozzle in the bottom surface of thewash chamber, and a dual eccentric nozzle protruding into the washchamber. The rack has a hose clamp oriented to secure an end of a CPAPhose when seated in the rack with an open end of the CPAP hose facingthe dual eccentric nozzle The dual eccentric nozzle has an air conduitthat introduces air during a drying cycle and a water conduit thatintroduces water during a rinse cycle, and when the rack is fullyinserted in the wash chamber, the dual eccentric nozzle is receivedinside the hose clamp, thereby, inside the CPAP hose when present. Thewasher has an on-off switch and a start-stop switch

The spray nozzle can protrude into the wash chamber and can be acone-shaped spray nozzle. In all embodiments, the spray nozzle has a 120degree spray cone. A plurality of such spray nozzles can be present inthe washer.

In all embodiments, a heated blower unit is present and is in fluidcommunication with the air conduit of the dual eccentric nozzle. Theheated blower unit heats air to a maximum temperature of 110° F. (43.3°C.).

In all embodiments, the washer has a hot water inlet that is controlledby an electrically actuated valve and has a cold water inlet. The coldwater inlet and the hot water inlet are in fluid communication with oneanother to mix the hot and cold water to form mixed water having atemperature within the range of 60° F. to 100° F. (15.6° C. to 37.8°C.). The mixed water is in fluid communication with a pressurerestrictor to reduce the water pressure to be in a range of 5 psi to 50psi (34.5 kPa to 344.7 kPa) at introduction to the wash chamber, therebyforming reduced pressure water. The reduced pressure water is in fluidcommunication with a mixing T coupler and the mixing T coupler is influid communication with a dosing pump for mixing cleaning solution withthe reduced pressure water in the mixing T coupler, thereby forming washwater.

In all embodiments, a cleaning solution reservoir is in fluidcommunication with the dosing pump, and the mixing T coupler is in fluidcommunication with the spray nozzle and the water conduit of the dualeccentric nozzle to introduce wash water inside the CPAP hose and to theoutside of the CPAP hose simultaneously.

In all embodiments, the rack has a plurality of hose routing featuresabout interior sides of the rack and the rack is sized to hold a CPAPmask and CPAP humidifier water chamber interiorly relative to coils ofthe CPAP hose.

In all embodiments, a drain pump is in fluid communication with a drainin the bottom surface of the wash chamber can be present. The drain pumpis active simultaneously with the introduction of water or wash waterinto the wash chamber.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of sink cabinet with an automatic CPAPwasher mounted within the sink cabinet.

FIG. 2 is a front perspective view of an automatic CPAP washer.

FIG. 3 is a rear perspective view of the CPAP washer of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the CPAP washer along line 4-4 inFIG. 2

FIG. 5 is a perspective side view of the interior of the door of theCPAP washer of FIG. 2.

FIG. 6A is a rear perspective view of a rack for the CPAP washer.

FIG. 6B is a perspective side view of the rack with a CPAP hose and masktherein.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged, partial view of the portion of the rack havingthe hose connector, which is partially inserted into the wash cavitytoward the dual eccentric nozzle of the automatic CPAP washer.

FIG. 8 is a rear-side perspective view of the CPAP washer of FIG. 2 withthe rack in the washer chamber and the outer upper portion of thehousing removed.

FIG. 9 is an enlarged cut-away view of a dual eccentric nozzle connectedto a CPAP hose and an air supply conduit.

FIG. 10 is an end perspective view of the dual eccentric nozzle.

FIG. 11 is bottom view of the CPAP washer of FIG. 2.

FIG. 12 is a longitudinal cross-section along the plane 12-12 in FIG.11.

FIG. 13 is a front perspective view of a portable automatic CPAP washer.

FIG. 14 is a rear perspective view of a rack for the CPAP washer showingan alternative embodiment for the hose routing feature.

FIG. 15A is a second embodiment of the dual eccentric nozzle.

FIG. 15B is a third embodiment of the dual eccentric nozzle.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following detailed description will illustrate the generalprinciples of the invention, examples of which are additionallyillustrated in the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, likereference numbers indicate identical or functionally similar elements.

FIG. 1 shows an undermount washer, generally designated by referencenumber 100, seated inside a sink vanity cabinet 10 having a countertop10 and sink 14. The undermount washer 100 is illustrated as sitting on ashelf, but it could be mounted to an interior surface of the cabinetand/or the underside of the countertop 12 by brackets (not shown)mounted to the top portion of the undermount washer, thereby hanging theundermount washer within the cabinet. The undermount washer 100 definesa wash chamber 102, has door 104 that selectively opens and closes anopen face 106 to provide access to the wash chamber 102. In oneembodiment, the open face is a front face of the machine, thereby therack 108 is slidingly receivable within the wash chamber 102. In anotherembodiment, the open face is a top face of the machine for a top-loadingmachine, especially when the machine pulls out of a cabinet on slidessuch as U.S. Pat. No. 4,739,781, or is a freestanding, portablecountertop unit as in U.S. Pat. No. 5,518,014.

Referring now to FIG. 2, the undermount washer 100 has a housing 110that defines the wash chamber 102. The housing 110 includes the door104, an outer shell 112, a skirt 114, and an inner shell 116 (best seenin the cross-section of FIG. 4). On the skirt 114 below the door 104 isan on-off switch 118 and a start-stop switch 119. Indicator lights maybe present proximate the switches to indicate when the undermount washer100 is in the on position.

Referring now to FIG. 3, the back side of the undermount washer 100 isshown and has a hot water inlet 120, a cold water inlet 122, and a drainoutlet 124. The hot water inlet 120 and cold water inlet 122 are to becoupled to the hot water line and the cold water line, respectively, ofthe sink 14 using a T coupler or other junction to provide hot water andcold water to the undermount washer 100. Likewise, the drain outlet 124is to be coupled to the drain line of the sink 14 for fluidcommunication therewith.

Referring now to FIG. 4, the housing 110, more specifically the innershell 116 defines the wash chamber 102, which has a bottom surface 140,a top surface 142, and one or more sides 144 extending therebetween. Thewash chamber 102 also has an open face 106 (shown in FIG. 1) providingaccess to the wash chamber 102. A vent port 146 is present in the topsurface 142 of the wash chamber 102 and defines a through bore in fluidcommunication with a void 148 defined between the inner shell 116 andthe outer shell 112. This cross-sectional view of the undermount washer100 reveals a float switch 150 protruding into the wash chamber 102 fromthe one or more sides 144 proximate the bottom surface 140 and a spraynozzle 117 protruding into the wash chamber 102 through the bottomsurface 140. The float switch 150 is present to shut off theintroduction of wash water or rinse water into the wash chamber 102 ifthe drain 152, shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, is not effectively drainingwater from the wash chamber 102 as wash water or rinse water isintroduced therein. The wash chamber 102 also includes wheel-receivingrails 154 mounted therein, typically to opposing sides of the one ormore sides 144 of the wash chamber 102, to receive the wheels 172 on therack 108.

Referring now to FIG. 5, the interior of the door 104 is shown andhouses a cleaning solution reservoir 130 having an outlet port 132 thatis in fluid communication with a dosing pump 160 (shown in FIG. 11) fordistribution of the cleaning solution into water within the undermountwasher 100. The cleaning solution reservoir 130 has an inlet port 134for filling and refilling the cleaning solution reservoir 130 which isclosable by a releasably attachable cap 136. The inlet port 134protrudes through a door panel 138 (shown in FIG. 1) to make the cap 136accessible to the user.

Referring now to FIG. 6A, the rack 108 is shown in an enlarged view. Therack 108 is a basket-style rack having a grid-fashioned body 170 toenable the retention of the CPAP equipment to be cleaned while allowinga maximum amount of wash water and/or rinse water through the rack foraccess to the CPAP equipment. A rail 171 having wheels 172 mountedthereto is mounted to each of opposing sides 173 of the rack 108. Thewheels 172 mate with the wheel-receiving rails 154 (FIG. 4) within thewash chamber 102 to facilitate the slidingly receivable nature of rack108 into the wash chamber 102.

Referring now to FIGS. 6-8, in one embodiment, the rack 108 includes aconnector tube 174 fixedly connected to the back 175 of the rack 108.The connector tube 174 is fixedly connected to or is integral with theback 175 of the rack. This connection can be facilitated by a generallyL-shaped bracket 168. The connector tube 174 protrudes into the voiddefined by the rack 108 far enough to be inserted into a first end 202of a CPAP hose 200 when seated in the hose clamp 178. The connector tube174 preferably defines a male end 176, best seen in the cut-away view ofFIG. 9. The hose clamp 178 is oriented to secure an end of the CPAP hosewhen seated therein with an open end of the hose facing the outlet end186 of the dual eccentric nozzle 180. The hose clamp 178 releasablyattaches the first end 202 of the CPAP hose 200 to the rack 108. Here,the hose clamp 178 can be fixedly connected to the generally L-shapedbracket 168 with the hose clamp 178 oriented parallel to the back 175 ofthe rack.

Referring now to FIG. 14, in another embodiment, the rack 108 has a hoseclamp 178′ oriented to secure an end of the CPAP hose 200 when seatedtherein with an open end 202 facing the outlet end 186 of the dualeccentric nozzle 180, but the outlet end 186 of the dual eccentricnozzle has a length sufficient to be received inside the open end 202 ofthe CPAP hose 200, without the need for the intermediate tubing 174shown in the embodiment of FIGS. 6-8. The hose clamp 178′ releasablyattaches the first end 202 of the CPAP hose to the rack 108.

The hose clamps 178 and 178′ shown in the figures is a kick plate springclamp, but other clamps having a resilient spring action to hold theCPAP hose in place can be used. Another example hose clamp is shown inFIG. 14 for the hose routing feature 179′, but is also suitable for thehose clamp 178′. This hose clamp is a flexible plastic C-shaped clip.Any other commercially available or hereinafter developed hose clampsthat releasably attach an end of a hose can be used herein.

Referring again to FIGS. 6-8, the rack 108 seats the CPAP hose 200 aboutinterior sides of the opposing sides 173, the back 175 and the front 177on a plurality of hose routing features 179, such as, but not limitedto, the J-shaped hooks illustrated in FIGS. 6A and 6B. As best seen inFIG. 6A, the J-shaped hooks 179 of the interior surfaces of one of thesides 173, the front 177, and the back 175 have a pair of lower hosehooks 179 a and upper hose hooks 179 b. The lower hooks 179 a are offseteither to the left or to the right of the upper hooks 179 b. The otherof the sides 173, may have fewer hooks, because the CPAP hose turns andis connected to the hose clamp 178 before traveling along this sideagain. The J-shaped hooks 179 may begin at a highest position at thefront 177 of the rack or one of the sides 173 and gradually progresslower within the rack moving clockwise or counterclockwise around theinterior of the rack, depending upon which way the CPAP hose is intendedto be coiled within the rack.

Referring now to FIG. 14, rack 108 is shown to have an alternateembodiment for the hose routing feature, here reference 179′. In thisembodiment, the hose routing feature 179′ is a C-shaped clamp protrudinginto the cavity defined by the rack 108 or a combination of C-Shapedclamps 179′ and J-shaped hooks 179. The C-shaped clamp has a springresilient feature such that the opposing arms of the C-shape areexpandable when a hose is inserted and returnable to an originalposition to hold the hose securely therein during operation of thecleaning device. Other hose clamps styles to which the hose isreleasably attachable include a tubing clamp available from HACH® ofLoveland, Colo. Additionally, a hook-and-loop material strap connectableto itself could hold the hose instead of the C-shaped clamps or the rackcould include one or more strategically placed pieces of either the hookmaterial or the loop material fixedly attached to the rack and the hoseof the CPAP machine could include the opposite of said material formatingly receiving the hose to the rack. Any combination of the possiblehose routing features can be present in the rack 108. In allembodiments, the hose routing features begin at a highest position atthe front 177 of the rack or one of the sides 173 and gradually progresslower within the rack moving clockwise or counterclockwise around theinterior of the rack, depending upon which way the CPAP hose is intendedto be coiled within the rack.

As shown in FIG. 6B, the second end 204 of the CPAP hose 200 lies in therack 108 in an unconnected, unobstructed manner, thereby enabling washwater or rinse water running through the CPAP hose to flow into the washchamber 102 and to the drain 152. The rack 108 is sized to hold a CPAPmask, shown in FIG. 1, and a CPAP humidifier water chamber 208interiorly relative to the coils of the CPAP hose 200.

Referring now to FIGS. 7-10, a dual eccentric nozzle 180 protrudes intothe wash chamber 102 at a position aligned to mate with the connectortube 178 of the rack 108 when the rack is fully seated within the washchamber 102, i.e., has reached its limit of travel inside the washchamber. A mounting flange 181 extends outward from the body of the dualeccentric nozzle 180 and seats flush against a side wall 144 of the washchamber 102 to secure (releasably or fixedly) the dual eccentric nozzle180 thereagainst. The end of the dual eccentric nozzle 180 positionedwithin the wash chamber 102 is shown as a male end 181 seated within theconnector tube 174, in FIG. 9, but the opposite configuration is alsopossible. As shown in FIG. 10, the outlet end 186 has a cylindrical tubeshape for its exterior surface. In the alternate embodiments shown inFIGS. 15A and 15B, the exterior surface of the outlet end 186 can have astepped conical shape (FIG. 15A) that narrows toward the outlet opening191 or a smooth, gradually tapering conical shape (FIG. 15B) thatnarrows toward the outlet opening 191. In all embodiments, the length(L) of the outlet end 186 is in a range of about 0.5 in to 2 inches.

The dual eccentric nozzle 180 fluidly connects the connector tube 178 toboth air and water. More specifically, an air input conduit 182 of thedual eccentric nozzle 180 introduces air into the CPAP hose 200 during adrying cycle and a water inlet conduit 184 of the dual eccentric nozzle180 introduces water into the CPAP hose 200 during a rinse cycle withoutmixing of the air and the water.

As best seen in FIG. 10, the outlet end 186 of the dual eccentric nozzle180 defines eccentric conduits having an outer tube 187 and an innertube 188 that are integral with one another, the outer tube 187 definingthe exterior surface of the outlet end 186 and being spaced apart fromthe inner tube 188 except where the outer and inner tubes 187, 188 sharea common arc 189. The space between the outer tube 187 and the innertube 188 defines the a pathway for air flow, and, as shown in thecross-section of FIG. 9, the outer tube 187 has a divider 190 fluidlyseparating the air inlet conduit 182 from the water inlet conduit 184 sothat the air and water do not mix. As expected by the names, inner tubeand outer tube, the inner tube 188 has a diameter D₁ that is smallerthan the diameter D₂ of the outer tube 187. D₂ may be about 5 mm largeror about 4 mm larger than D₁. The water inlet conduit 184 and the airinlet conduit 182 may form a 80 degree angle as shown, but is notlimited thereto.

Referring again to FIGS. 7-9 and to FIG. 11-12, a heated blower unit 192is in fluid communication with the air inlet conduit 182 of the dualeccentric nozzle 180. The heated blower unit 192 and the air inletconduit 182 are connected by tubing 193, which can be flexible tubing,by releasably attachable fasteners that form airtight seals/connections.The heated blower unit 192 heats air to a maximum temperature of 110° F.(43.3° C.) and has a temperature switch 194, visible in FIG. 12, thatturns off the blower if the air temperature reaches 111° F. (43.9° C.).And, the water inlet conduit 184 is in fluid communication with washwater or rinse water flowing from a splitter coupler 210, shown in FIG.11, in fluid communication with sprayer nozzles 117, all of which are influid communication with a mixing T coupler 212. Flexible tubing 195leads from the water inlet conduit 184 and extends to the other fluidcomponents located along a bottom exterior surface 209 of the housing110, which includes a fluid tight connection to flexible tubing 197 thatconnects directly to the splitter coupler 210.

Referring to FIG. 11, the hot water inlet 120 is controlled by anelectrically actuated valve 121 and a cold water inlet 122 is optionallycontrolled by an electrically actuated valve 123. The electricallyactuated valves 122 and 123 are in communication with a controller thatis in electrical communication with a temperature sensor or temperatureswitch 228. The controller is set to open the electrically actuatedvalve 121 to introduce hot water when the temperature is below 59° F.and is set to close the electrically actuated valve 121 to stop theintroduction of hot water when the temperature of the mixed water risesto about 90° F. or about 100° F. The temperature switch 228 isconfigured to shut off the flow of hot water so that the mixed watertemperature does not reach or exceed 111° F. For example, thetemperature switch may be a bimetallic disc thermostat having apreselected “open on rise” or “close on rise” temperature range suitableto control the temperature of the wash water and rinse water in therange set forth below.

The hot water inlet 120 and the cold water inlet 122 are in fluidcommunication with one another to mix the hot and cold water to formmixed water having a temperature within the range of 60° F. to 100° F.(15.6° C. to 37.8° C.). The mixed water is in fluid communication with apressure regulator 214 to reduce the water pressure to be in a range of5 psi to 50 psi (34.5 kPa to 344.7 kPa). The pressure regulator 214 isin fluid communication with a flow restrictor 215 to reduce the flowrateof the mixed water. The mixed water after flowing through the pressureregulator 214 and then the flow restrictor 215 has a psi in the rangenoted above and a flow rate in gallons per minute of less than 2 gpm,more preferably less than 1 gpm. In one embodiment, the flow rate isbetween 0.5 gpm to 0.75 gpm at the introduction of mixed water into themixing T coupler 212 and into the wash chamber 102. The reduced pressurewater is in fluid communication with the mixing T coupler 212, and themixing T coupler 212 is in fluid communication with a dosing pump 160for mixing cleaning solution from the cleaning solution reservoir 130with the reduced pressure water in the mixing T coupler 212, therebyforming wash water that is distributed to the splitter coupler 210 fordistribution to the spray nozzles 117 and to the dual eccentric nozzle180 for introduction into the wash chamber 102 and the CPAP hose 200,respectively, thereby washing or rinsing the inside and the outside ofCPAP hose simultaneously. The splitter coupler 210 is a 4-way coupler,but is not limited thereto. The splitter coupler is dependent upon thenumber of spray nozzles 117 selected to be present in the undermountwasher. The splitter is a 4-way coupler in FIG. 11 because two spraynozzles 117 are shown.

Referring now to FIG. 12, one or more spray nozzles 117 protrude throughthe bottom surface 140 of the wash chamber 102 with a fluid tight sealtherebetween. Each spray nozzle 117 is a cone-shaped spray nozzle,preferably with a 120 degree spray cone θ, and jets the spray to the topsurface 116 of the wash chamber 102 as represented by the arrow labeled“jet height” in FIG. 4.

Returning to FIG. 11, the fluid components include a drain pump 220 influid communication with the drain 152 in the bottom surface 140 of thewash chamber 102, which may be accomplished by flexible tubing 221, andin fluid communication with drain outlet 124, which may be accomplishedby flexible tubing 222. In operation, the drain pump 220 is activesimultaneously with the introduction of rinse water or wash water sothat the CPAP equipment always experiences a continuous flow from thewater source rather than internally recycled water. Any reference toflexible tubing herein may instead be rigid conduit tubing, if desired,and all connections are to be fluid tight connections whetherpermanently fixed connections or releasably attachable connections.Releasably attachable connections may be preferred for futurereplacement of parts.

Referring back to FIG. 1, the undermount washer 100 includes a magneticswitch 107 in the frame of the outer shell 112 that defines the openface 106 that will turn off the flow of rinse water or wash water or airif the door 104 is opened by a user while the washer 100 is “on.”

The washer 100 can be an undermount model for direct connections toplumbing, typically the plumbing of a sink, but the model is not limitedthereto. When connected to a sink, the pipe connected to the base of thesink is replaced with a branched pipe for connection of a drain line influid communication with the drain outlet 124 of the washer to thebranch of the branched pipe. Then, in each of the hot water line and thecold water line, a tee and a shut off valve are installed for connectionto the hot water inlet 120 and cold water inlet 122, respectively, ofthe washer.

The washer 100 can be a portable model that sits on a countertop and isrepeatedly, removably attachable to a faucet and the drain line isplaced in an appropriate receptacle, such a sink, a floor drain, or acontainer having sufficient volume to collect wash and drain water. Anycommercially available faucet adapter can be used, such as an applianceunicouple available from GE for appliances.

Referring now to FIG. 13, in another embodiment, the washer 100′ canhave an on-board reservoir 250 of sufficient volume to hold wash waterand rinse water for the device and a water heater 252 for heating partor all of the water stored in the reservoir. A fill port 254 is in fluidcommunication with the on-board reservoir. The reservoir 250 can besized to hold 5 liters of water up to 20 liters of water including anyliter increment therebetween. Here, the drain line is placed in anappropriate receptacle, such as a sink, a floor drain, or a containerhaving sufficient volume to collect wash and drain water.

In all aspects, the washer 100 has a footprint that is generally lessthan 20 in×21 in×23 in. In one embodiment, the footprint is less than 20in×20 in×10 in. In another embodiment, the footprint is less than 16in×16 in×10 in. The housing 110 may be made of plastic or stainlesssteel or a combination thereof.

In operation, the washer 100, whether an undermount model, a portablemodel, or a self-contained model, has a two-stage cleaning cycle thatincludes a cold rinsing cycle before a hot rinsing cycle. The coldrinsing cycle begins with cold water introduction for 60 seconds withthe continuous draining of the rinse water as described herein. Then,the dosing pump 160 will dispense a first pre-selected amount ofcleaning solution to the mixing T coupler 212 and cold water will enterfor 120 seconds including mixing with the cleaning solution andintroduction as wash water into the wash chamber 102 and into the CPAPhose 200 along with continuous draining of the wash water.

The hot rinsing cycle begins with a flow of hot and cold water for 60second, which mix to introduce rinse water into the wash chamber 102 andthe CPAP hose 200 at a temperature in a range of 60° F. to 100° F., withthe continuous draining of the rinse water. Next, the dosing pump 160will dispense a second pre-selected amount of cleaning solution to themixing T coupler 212 and cold water will enter for 120 seconds includingmixing with the cleaning solution and introduction as wash water intothe wash chamber 102 and into the CPAP hose 200 along with continuousdraining of the wash water. Lastly, a flow of hot and cold water for 120seconds, which mix to introduce rinse water into the wash chamber 102and the CPAP hose 200 at a temperature in a range of 60° F. to 100° F.with continuous draining of the rinse water. The two-stage cleaningcycle may use about 20 L of water.

The first and second pre-selected amount of cleaning solution may be thesame or different. When the pre-selected amounts of cleaning solutionare different, the second pre-selected amount of cleaning solution isless than the first pre-selected amount of cleaning solution. Thecleaning solution is preferably a mild, gentle soap that is free ofperfumes. Some liquid cleaning solutions that are suitable include, butare not limited to, Dr. Bonner's unscented liquid soap, IVORY® or DAWN®dishwashing detergent, and JOHNSON'S baby shampoo.

Subsequent to the two-stage cleaning cycle, a drying cycle is executed.Here, the heated blower unit 192 introduces air having a temperature notto exceed 110° F., for a pre-determined period of time. The pre-selecteddrying time is in a range of 5 minutes to 30 minutes, more preferably 15minutes to 30 minutes. The heated air is first introduced into the CPAPhose 200, and after exiting the CPAP hose, the heated air circulatesinside the wash chamber 102 before exiting the wash chamber 102 throughthe vent 146, which releases the heated air to the atmosphere. This willdry all the parts inside the wash chamber 102.

The undermount washer has many advantages including, but not limited to,providing a user friendly washer for CPAP equipment that can beundermount under a kitchen or bathroom sink for direct connection to thehot and cold water lines leading to the sink and to the drain leadingfrom the sink. The undermount washer uses a mix of hot and cold waterduring wash and/or rinse cycles to achieve a safe temperature for CPAPequipment without using a heater unit. This greatly reduces the risk ofover-heating the water and/or the washer itself. The undermount washeruses a continuous flow of fresh wash water and fresh rinse water thatdrains immediately from the wash chamber, i.e., no internally recycledwater is reintroduced to the interior or the exterior of the CPAP hoseor other CPAP equipment, thereby providing a better clean than priordevices. And, the undermount washer uses cleaning solution and water fora safe and effective cleansing of the CPAP equipment rather than ozoneor UV light.

It should be noted that the embodiments are not limited in theirapplication or use to the details of construction and arrangement ofparts and steps illustrated in the drawings and description. Features ofthe illustrative embodiments, constructions, and variants may beimplemented or incorporated in other embodiments, constructions,variants, and modifications, and may be practiced or carried out invarious ways. Furthermore, unless otherwise indicated, the terms andexpressions employed herein have been chosen for the purpose ofdescribing the illustrative embodiments of the present invention for theconvenience of the reader and are not for the purpose of limiting theinvention.

Having described the invention in detail and by reference to preferredembodiments thereof, it will be apparent that modifications andvariations are possible without departing from the scope of theinvention which is defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A washer for continuous positive airway pressure(CPAP) equipment comprising: a housing defining a wash chamber having anopen face providing access to the wash chamber; a door selectivelyclosing the open face; a dual eccentric nozzle protruding into the washchamber; a rack receivable within the wash chamber, the rack comprisinga hose clamp oriented to secure an end of a CPAP hose when seated in therack with an open end of the CPAP hose facing the dual eccentric nozzle;and a spray nozzle in the bottom surface of the wash chamber; whereinthe dual eccentric nozzle has an air conduit that introduces air duringa drying cycle and a water conduit that introduces water during a rinsecycle; wherein, in a fully inserted position of the rack in the washchamber, the dual eccentric nozzle is received inside the hose clamp,thereby inside the CPAP hose when present.
 2. The washer as claimed inclaim 1, wherein the spray nozzle protrudes into the wash chamber and isa cone-shaped spray nozzle.
 3. The washer as claimed in claim 1, whereinthe spray nozzle has a 120 degree spray cone.
 4. The washer as claimedin claim 1, wherein a plurality of spray nozzles protrude from thebottom surface of the wash chamber.
 5. The washer as claimed in claim 1,comprising a heated blower unit in fluid communication with the airconduit of the dual eccentric nozzle.
 6. The washer as claimed in claim5, wherein the heated blower unit heats air to a maximum temperature of110° F. (43.3° C.).
 7. The washer as claimed in claim 1, comprising ahot water inlet controlled by an electrically actuated valve and a coldwater inlet, wherein the cold water inlet and the hot water inlet are influid communication with one another to mix the hot and cold water toform mixed water having a temperature within the range of 60° F. to 100°F. (15.6° C. to 37.8° C.).
 8. The washer as claimed in claim 7, whereinthe mixed water is in fluid communication with a pressure restrictor toreduce the water pressure to be in a range of 5 psi to 50 psi (34.5 kPato 344.7 kPa) at introduction to the wash chamber, thereby formingreduced pressure water.
 9. The washer as claimed in claim 8, wherein thereduced pressure water is in fluid communication with a mixing T couplerand the mixing T coupler is in fluid communication with a dosing pumpfor mixing cleaning solution with the reduced pressure water in themixing T coupler, thereby forming wash water.
 10. The washer as claimedin claim 9, comprising a cleaning solution reservoir in fluidcommunication with the dosing pump.
 11. The washer as claimed in claim9, wherein the mixing T coupler is in fluid communication with the spraynozzle and the water conduit of the dual eccentric connector tointroduce wash water inside the CPAP hose and to the outside of the CPAPhose simultaneously.
 12. The washer as claimed in claim 11, wherein therack has a plurality of hose routing features about interior sides ofthe rack and the rack is sized to hold a CPAP mask and CPAP humidifierinteriorly relative to coils of the CPAP hose.
 13. The washer as claimedin claim 1, comprising a drain pump in fluid communication with a drainin the bottom surface of the wash chamber, wherein the drain pump isactive simultaneously with the introduction of water or wash water intothe wash chamber.
 14. The washer as claimed in claim 1, comprising anon-off switch and a start-stop switch.
 15. A washer for continuouspositive airway pressure (CPAP) equipment comprising: a housing defininga wash chamber having an open face providing access to the wash chamber;a door selectively closing the open face of the wash chamber; a rackslidingly receivable within the wash chamber; a spray nozzle in thebottom surface of the wash chamber; a hot water inlet controlled by anelectrically actuated valve and a cold water inlet, wherein the coldwater inlet and the hot water inlet are in fluid communication with oneanother to mix the hot and cold water to form mixed water having atemperature within the range of 60° F. to 100° F. (15.6° C. to 37.8°C.).
 16. The washer as claimed in claim 1, comprising a dual eccentricnozzle protruding into the wash chamber, wherein the rack comprises ahose clamp oriented to secure an end of a CPAP hose when seated in therack with an open end of the CPAP hose facing the dual eccentric nozzleand in a fully inserted position of the rack in the wash chamber, thedual eccentric nozzle is received inside the hose clamp, thereby insidethe CPAP hose when present; wherein the dual eccentric nozzle has an airconduit that introduces air during a drying cycle and a water conduitthat water introduces water during a rinse cycle.
 17. The washer asclaimed in claim 15, wherein a plurality of spray nozzles protrude fromthe bottom surface of the wash chamber and each spray nozzle is acone-shaped spray nozzle having a 120 degree spray cone.
 18. The washeras claimed in claim 15, comprising a heated blower unit in fluidcommunication with the air conduit of the dual eccentric nozzle, whereinthe heated blower unit heats air to a maximum temperature of 110° F.(43.3° C.).
 19. The washer as claimed in claim 15, wherein the mixedwater is in fluid communication with a pressure restrictor to reduce thewater pressure to be in a range of 5 psi to 50 psi (34.5 kPa to 344.7kPa) at introduction to the wash chamber, thereby forming reducedpressure water.
 20. The washer as claimed in claim 19, wherein thereduced pressure water is in fluid communication with a mixing T couplerand the mixing T coupler is in fluid communication with a dosing pumpfor mixing cleaning solution with the reduced pressure water in themixing T coupler, thereby forming wash water.
 21. The washer as claimedin claim 20, comprising a cleaning solution reservoir in fluidcommunication with the dosing pump.
 22. The washer as claimed in claim20, wherein the mixing T coupler is in fluid communication with thespray nozzle and the water conduit of the dual eccentric nozzle tointroduce wash water inside the CPAP hose and to the outside of the CPAPhose simultaneously.